Fantasy has always been the strongest sub-genre when it comes to fictional books and the previous decades have posed to be pretty exciting for the genre. There have been a few certain series of books that are put forward in the past few decades that have truly captured the attention as well as the hearts of the reader. One of these epic book series is the Dresden Files.
Dresden Files were written by Jim Butcher and it was a horrifyingly interesting series and I liked every bit of it that I went through. The series is a must-read as the storyline will hauntingly amaze you. And if you have read this then obviously you might be looking for something related to it as it has known to leave an impact on the readers.
The series revolves around a wizard named Harry Dresden who fights off different creatures throughout the series and even his own demons as the series progresses. The character development through the storyline is marvelous and that’s why a lot of people crave similar books after finishing this one. This is why I have crafted a list of books that resemble the Dresden Files.
9 Books like the Dresden Files
#1. Fated
This book was written by Benedict Jacka.
Published: 2012
It is a part of the Alex Verus series and totally deserves its place on top of this list. It is part of a series that can be considered the closest to the Dresden files which is why I think it is the best for the list. The major difference between the two series is that Alex isn’t gifted with conventional powers and can only look into possible futures and choose the desired one to continue with.
The main character of this book, Alex Verus, is a mage. He isn’t as gifted and powerful like many other mages but his one single power of seeing the future and finding even the smallest chance of succeeding is what might make the whole difference. The book is a must-read and the series is recommended by Jim Butcher himself as a series similar to the Dresden Files.
#2. The Devil You Know
This book was written by Mike Carey.
Published: 2006
This book is a part of the Felix Castor series which is very much alike Dresden Files in form and style yet is completely different as a whole. The storyline is interesting and would definitely latch the reader to itself and wouldn’t let go. It is a series that might seem like a rip-off of the Dresden Files but isn’t really. It is quite different and the readers actually felt like it was a worthy book to be read.
This book is based on our male protagonist named Felix castor who is an exorcist and mixing the detective theme along with supernatural elements is a very innovative thing to do. He isn’t really a very powerful exorcist though but he is one of the best. The world portrayed in this book has gone through a paradigm shift where hauntings are common everywhere and exorcists are the most powerful defense that the world has against them.
#3. Dead Things
This book was written by Stephen Blackmoore.
Published: 2013
This book is a part of the Eric Carter series and it is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Whether you pick up the entire series or just this book as a standalone, you wouldn’t be disappointed. It was exciting and mysterious at the same time and that’s something I haven’t found in most books. The protagonist of this book, Eric Carter, is a necromancer and he doesn’t really wish to be it but he has no choice against it.
Eric can see ghosts and he can even talk to the dead beyond our realm. He can put evil unstable spirits to rest but he doesn’t do this for free. Obviously he charges his clients for his bidding. He had left Los Angeles because there were too many threats for him there but now he has to return, to find out the murderer of his sister. The book goes on to portray a series of events that are pretty more than just intriguing, so try giving it a go.
#4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This book was written by J. K. Rowling.
Published: 1999
How can it be possible for anyone to even make a list of books about magic and a fantasy world, and exclude the mention of a Harry Potter book in it? Although a lot of people might argue for this book to be on the top there’s a very simple reason why it can’t. Dresden Files has certainly a darker theme while Harry Potter is much different due to the fairly lighter theme for the reader.
Another similarity is that both books have the protagonist named Harry so that’s something to think about. This particular book of the Harry Potter series is quite powerful and I think it is quite close to the Dresden files due to the storyline. In this book, Harry meets his godfather whom he first thought wants to murder him and the events that take place are pretty confusing to some readers as well. Try reading this book for a good time.
#5. Sandman Slim
This book was written by Richard Kadrey.
Published: 2009
Another book with a bold and powerful anti-hero which will make you fall in love with this book. It revolves around our protagonist named James Stark and the premise put forward by this book is rather intriguing. The character of James is of a man that has one of the saddest lives and then he dies. After dying, he goes to hell and works as a hitman in there for eleven years and finally escapes.
But what’s interesting is that he lands up in Los Angeles, after escaping from hell, which is actually hell on earth. The author’s perfect blend of darkness with humor is what kept me going through the book other than the mysteriously interesting storyline. The book is something worth reading as the protagonist goes through a certain situation on his way to revenge and absolution that grabs the reader’s interest.
#6. Midnight Riot
This book was written by Ben Aaronovitch.
Published: 2011
It would be quite impossible to believe due to the list this book is put in, but it is a book unlike any other. The storyline of this particular book is so powerful that it can spellbind the reader within the first 15 minutes of reading it. The way it progresses is something that can’t be matched so easily by any other book or series. The ambition and optimism of the protagonist really won my heart.
It revolves around a probationary constable named Peter Grant who aspires to be a detective in the London Metropolitan Police Department. His superior initially assigns him to the Case Progression unit which isn’t something that would thrill Peter. But the storyline takes a twist when the detective chief inspector gets to know about Peter’s talent to communicate with spirits. Try this book out to know what happens next as it will fascinate you a lot.
#7. Night Watch
This book was written by Sergei Lukyanenko.
Published: 1998
This is a book with a pretty interesting concept and that’s why it appealed to me this much. It revolves around a race of supernatural beings who are called the “others”. These beings are magicians, vampires, shape-shifters, and healers and when they come of age, they get to choose whether to be on the light side of the schism or the dark side. These beings live hand in hand with humans and this has been so for the millennium at least.
These two sides of the race have been cohabiting quite peacefully with the help of the defenders from the light side called the Night Watch. But there is a prophecy that says a member of this race will be a supreme who will start a huge war between the two. Now soon some situations arise that need to be taken care of by the Night Watch. Check this book out to find out which side wins this epic war.
#8. The Dirty Streets of Heaven
This book was written by Tad Williams.
Published: 2012
The name alone of this book is so interesting that it can attract anyone’s attention in a bare second. This book revolves around the story of an actual angel who knows a lot about sin and regrets the fact that he is struggling with some himself. The major problem for this angel named Bobby Dollar isn’t his sins, but the fact that he can’t trust anyone over here anymore.
His superiors can’t be trusted and neither can he trust that new angel boy who keeps asking way too many questions all the time, nor can he trust any of his fellow angels on Earth. And when a few things start going wrong, like the spirits of the recently dead start to disappear, a situation of chaos is created between heaven and hell as they are afraid of the Earth to have a nearing end. Read this book to find out what interesting state of affairs takes place next.
#9. The Long Way Down
This book is written by Craig Schaefer.
Published: 2014
Although it is the last book on this list don’t consider it any less than the other books mentioned in the list above. It will definitely blow your mind if you give it a chance. This book revolves around a former gangster and a sorcerer who uses bullets and black magic to carry out the deeds given to him by his clients. It is said that no person knows the underbelly of Las Vegas like he does.
The name of this guy is Daniel Faust and he can be hired to do your personal bidding, no matter what it is. An old man comes to Faust for revenge against his granddaughter’s brutal murder and he accepts it. It seems like a pretty simple and easy job but as he goes into it much further, he realizes what a whirlpool it is. Soon he is stuck at a crossroads where he can’t figure out what he should do. Read this book out to check how the affairs proceed and whether Daniel Faust can make it out of this one alive.
I hope this list of books resembling Dresden files has been interesting to you. All the books included in this list are my personal preferences and reading them out might be just the excitement that you need. If the content was helpful, please leave a like on the post or drop a comment below.